


Like A Broom

by chipfics



Category: Code Vein (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Yakumo Rin and a couple of others get mentioned but don't have large enough roles to warrant tagging, anyway have some fluff set in some vague point in-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22504423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chipfics/pseuds/chipfics
Summary: Queenslayer Kelley is not at all like the stalwart hero any rumors might suggest.Rin thinks the skittish revenant's love of romance novels is hilarious. Louis thinks differently. Louis thinks a lot of things, in fact, and it leads to something of a confession.Louis/Trans Male MC.
Relationships: Louis Amamiya/Player Character, Louis/Trans Male OC
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	Like A Broom

**Author's Note:**

> behold ye readers, I have written playercharacter/louis fluff!
> 
> The player character is Kelley, my own iteration and basically an OC. He's in the middle here: https://imgur.com/VeINkim
> 
> Quick notes on him: pink hair in a short, messy tail, purple eyes, freckles. About 5' 2" tall. became a revenant around age 24, a year after starting HRT.

“Is that a romance novel?”

The question came from Rin, lounging next to Kelley on the couch. He was absorbed in some yellowed paperback again. The cover was gone, but the title read _A Man For Flowers_.

Kelley was so easy to fluster though. Jumpy, skittish. His face turned nearly the same shade of pink as his hair, his eyes flicking away. He didn't say a word, but his lips pressed together tensely.

“Oh, it _is_.” Rin grinned widely under her mask. Louis raised his eyes over his own book and Yakumo yawned.

“Don't bully him,” Yakumo said easily, “He's _shy_.”

Kelley hunched over his book, turning redder. “It's not like it's a bad thing....to like this kind of thing...” He muttered.

Rin only laughed and patted his shoulder. “Relax, I'm not making fun of you.” She chirped, but looked over his shoulder. “Still, I didn't take you as the sappy type, Kelley.”

“Okay, I'll agree on that,” Yakumo added, “You seem like you'd run at the first sign of flirting.”

Kelley frowned a little.

Louis closed his book. “Well, looks can be deceiving. We already know how strong he is in a fight. And that contradicts his social tendencies, doesn't it?”

Yakumo and Rin both echoed a “It sure does” and Kelley drew out of his wilting pose a little, relieved at Louis' defense.

Everyone always teased him. He was so anxious all the time- like a scared rabbit, Coco had commented. And he had a habit of clinging to the nearest person any time they went out exploring, for as long as they didn't need to have their weapons readied. Yakumo always shook him off and Mia was a little reluctant about being touched so...well, in the end it always seemed to be Louis who was most willing to endure Kelley clinging to his sleeve. (Once or twice, he had just taken his hand recently)

...That was right. Kelley was always calmest around Louis. He gave him a grateful nod over his book. As long as he was there he'd make sure no one jabbed at him for his reading habits _too_ much.

Rin wasn't done talking though.

“Out of curiosity, though, why do you like them so much? The cheesy books, I mean.” She said. There was no tease in her voice- only genuine curiosity.

Kelley fidgeted anyway. “I just always have, I guess...” He said. Voice soft, gentle, like the tinkling of a small bell. “I don't remember much, not very well, but I think maybe my mom wrote them?”

His brow furrowed. So much was still foggy. “Anyway, I guess I just....kind of like the idea of it...”

“Of falling in love?” Rin leaned back in her seat, “Aw, that's _cute_ , Kelley. You want to sweep someone off their feet, huh?”

Kelley wrinkled his nose. “I'm not sure I could do that,” He returned honestly, “I'd er...rather the other way around...you know?”

An emphatic _ooh_ ing came from both Yakumo and Rin and even Mia laughed softly from her seat.

“You want someone to sweep _you_ off your feet. Oh, that's adorable.” Rin clapped her hands, “I bet you'd be really weak for flowers. You keep collecting more and more potted plants. If someone bought you a bouquet...”

Kelley fumbled. “I....I'd be over the moon, probably,” it was an impulsive confession, and he put his hand over his mouth, face red as a beet.

Rin cooed and Yakumo laughed- good natured, and not derisive.

Louis piped up. “You do seem to like flowers,” He mentioned. His own book was set aside.

“Er...well, they're so pretty, I just...” Kelley tugged at his loose bangs, scratched at his freckled nose.

“What kinds....do you like? Of flowers, I mean.” Louis leaned back. Yakumo eyed him quietly, but nobody else seemed to pick up on the change in his tone.

“Oh, uh...carnations...daffodils...” Kelley tried to count them off, “there are so many pretty ones, but you don't really see a lot around anymore...I only have succulents in my garden.”

Louis hummed. Conversation pittered off and Kelley returned to reading, Rin and Yakumo going to perform tasks or pass time elsewhere.

Louis's book remained forgotten, and he soon enough got up from his seat and left.

Kelley- he was a very sad soul. It was easy to see in his eyes. Deep violet, always so weary and forlorn. Like he was mourning something he couldn't recall. So much of his memory was still in missing shards, so Louis wasn't surprised by the possibility.

The world frightened him. Being around people stressed him out and it had taken him ages to open up to all of them, really. But when adversity came calling, his nerves turned from paper to steel and he faced any danger head on. His sense of morality and selflessness was strong, and his heart was gentle to the point that he was willing to put himself at risk for even a stranger.

He was so small. A virtue of how late his transition had started, and how it had frozen when he became a revenant. What changes had occurred were set in stone after, but it must have been a point of frustration for him. He often worried about his size out loud during training, but his strength seemed to exceed even Yakumo's when he was really pushing himself.

Still, even with as hard as he was working he rarely smiled. When he did, it looked more like a weak, shaky attempt at reassurance than real joy. And Louis really didn't like that.

But he _did_ like Kelley. He was a little clingy, a little clumsy, and _very_ easily fazed, but his heart was always in the right place and his spirit was a rare breed of gentility and kindness in these dark days.

Louis thought about the old world parts in his things and about Shang, and his motley assortment of wares. There had been flowers, right? Hadn't there?

Well, there was one way to find out.

* * *

Kelley slept in fits. A couple of hours here and there when his nerves allowed it.

Coco, bless her, had acquired some medication designed to sooth nerves. It wasn't as effective in revenants as humans, but it helped enough that he was having an easier time lately, and she was kindly selling it at a low price to him. (Of course, he paid a finder's fee for it- how could he not?)

Still, he found himself awake at hours when none of the others were up and about, not even Davis. Looking out at the deep red night, he felt a raw loneliness.

It was always easier when Louis was around, he mused, but he had gone out the previous evening and not returned.

Something about him set Kelley at ease. An innate knowing that he could trust Louis- with anything, even his life. He was unwaveringly honest and supportive, and patient with Kelley's foibles and fumbles and nerves. He even went as far as letting Kelley cling to his hand on some more tense expeditions. Occasionally he would squeeze it back, a reassurance.

Kelley looked down at his hands. He knew he was pining, but with the world in the state it was, he felt silly for having a crush. Louis was handsome and charismatic- easy to like- but he was also wholly focused on his goals and the last thing Kelley wanted was to be a distraction. Or worse, an obstacle. He wanted to _help_ \- for everyone's sake, not just Louis's.

He pulled his hairtie out and ruffled the wild waves to loosen them. He'd been wearing it up long enough his head was starting to hurt. He needed a break. And probably more sleep, but his nerves were acting up again. Perhaps a cup of tea.

He turned, bare feet noiseless on the hard floor. He had stripped out of his binder and other clothes and changed to a tee shirt and shorts Yakumo had found him for sleeping in. They were loose, big, but comfortable. Rin had found him a sports bra as well. Easy to rest in, less restricting than the binder.

He was headed for the small kitchen area when Louis materialized by the mistle.

Kelley blinked- once, twice. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Not that he thought he was prone to hallucinating, but it was an odd hour of the night.

“Louis,” Kelley called, “welcome back- everyone else is asleep.”

Louis jerked his head toward Kelley and his hands moved behind his back abruptly, the only indication that he had been holding anything that Kelley had time to notice.

“You're awake,” He greeted in turn.

“Just for a while, to have some tea.” Kelley returned. His voice carried well despite its softness. “I had another nightmare.”

Louis strode toward him. “I have something for you,” He said, “Before you do that.”

“Uh...okay,” Kelley said. Louis stopped in front of him, looking a bit pink in the cheeks.

“I just figure I should do this before I lose my nerve,” He announced, and from behind his back he brought a bouquet of flowers.

Pink carnations. Ones Kelley could muddily remember his mother tucking into his hair when he was very small. They had always been a favorite. He'd felt drawn to them even before he had remembered anything about himself.

“I...Louis?” He said, confused.

Louis held the bouquet out- nearly shoved it into Kelley's arms, in fact. A nervous smile was on his face.

“I just wanted to do something nice for you, and you said...I mean, you said you liked them.”

All of a sudden the conversation from the previous day flooded back to Kelley. About his _romanticism_. And flowers, and how he'd be _weak_ for someone giving them to him.

Had Louis taken that to heart? …. was this- no, it couldn't be for _that_ reason. Kelley began to turn a little pink.

“You didn't have to go to- these can't have been easy to find, Louis...” Nonetheless he flushed deeper and drew them to his face to smell. Real, live flowers. Fresh, even.

“Shang helped me.” Louis admitted, “But I did have to take a bit of a hike for them.”

“You really didn't have to,” Kelley insisted, his voice cracking with emotion.

“I wanted to,” Louis said. The tone was soft, warm. “You deserve them.”

A hand came up to ruffle Kelley's hair and his face flared and even brighter red. Red as Louis's eyes, staring at him with a glimmer.

“You never smile, you know. And you hardly speak. I was surprised you let Rin get all that talk about flowers out of you. It was the most you've spoken in days”

Kelley frowned. “Oh, I'm...I'm sorry...”

Louis shook his head. “I'm not reprimanding you,” He said, “I just mean I'm glad you're opening up to us all a little more.”

Kelley nodded. “Oh...okay. I...I'll keep trying to.”

“And...” Louis started, looking away from Kelley's face and turning just pink enough to notice in the low light.

“Well, I suppose this isn't enough to _sweep you off your feet_ ,” he said, almost stuttering, “But I'll hope it's a start.”

With that, he marched off. Kelley barely registered him announcing he was going to bed over the gears in his head grinding to a halt.

 _I'll hope it's a start_ echoed in his mind and he inhaled sharply. His face was crimson now, he was sure. He could feel his heart stuttering, pittering, dancing about.

“Consider me swept, Louis.” He whispered to himself.


End file.
